Govt. Issues Draft Occupational Safety Health and Working Conditions (Oil Mines) Regulations, 2022

Notification No. GSR 868(E); Dated: 26.11.2025

The Ministry of Labour and Employment has released the draft Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Oil Mines) Regulations 2022. The draft Regulations aim to modernise and standardise safety and health provisions for workers in the oil mining sector. The Regulations shall apply to every oil mine and extend to the whole of India.

The key highlights of the draft Regulations are as follows:

(a) Notice of abandonment, closure, discontinuance or reopening of a mine must be given at least 30 days before such abandonment, closure, discontinuance, or reopening.

(b) A person shall not be appointed as Chief Inspector cum Facilitator, Inspector-cum Facilitator, deputy manager, surveyor, or fire officer unless he/she hold the requisite qualification.

(c) The owner of every mine must ensure that an adequate and effective Safety Management Plan (SMP) is framed and implemented in the mine to eliminate or reduce risks to the safety and health of persons employed in mines and must take all necessary measures to eliminate or minimise such risks.

(d) No flammable material must be stored within 30 meters of any oil well except as fuel in the tanks of the operational equipment.

(e) The manager must ensure that the lifting appliance and gear system intended to be used in the mine is properly maintained and operated for the safety of persons.

(f) The owner, agent and manager of every mine must ensure that the appliances, equipment, machinery, or other materials used in the mine are of sound construction and conform to an Indian or International Standard.

(g) The manager must, before introducing any machinery or new operation connected with the mine, frame and enforce a standard operating procedure (SOP) for each such machinery or operation.

(h) No person must negligently or wilfully do anything likely to endanger life or limb in the mine or negligently or wilfully omit to do anything necessary for the safety of the mine or of the persons employed.

(i) Safety and health education and instruction programmes must be organised regularly in every mine to make workers safety conscious and instil an awareness of occupational safety and health at every level.

(j) The owner, agent and manager of the mine must ensure that the reports, records and registers are maintained in interleaved bound paged registers and signed by the concerned competent person or official and countersigned by the manager.

(k) Any person aggrieved by an order of Inspector-cum Facilitator may prefer an appeal to the Chief Inspector cum Facilitator, who may confirm, modify or cancel the order, and every such appeal must be preferred within 15 days of the receipt of the order by the appellant.

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